Peter & Wendy
by June Goddess
Summary: Standard disclaimers apply. Please read and review. I really want to know what you think. No particular reason for the rating. It's just in case.
1. Prologue

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Peter and Wendy

By: June Goddess

Prologue

It has been almost one year since the Darling children, Wendy, John, and Michael, had had their adventure in Neverland with Peter Pan. When Peter and Wendy parted ways, Peter had promised to get Wendy and take her back to Neverland for spring-cleaning the following year. It was now nearing that promised time, and Wendy was so excited she was chastised in class _three _times for daydreaming.

Upon arriving home she raced up to her room and changed into more suitable clothing. Peter, her dear Peter, would be flying in the nursery window very soon. She was sure of it! No sooner had she finished the thought than a beloved tune from a pan flute softly reached her ears. Her feet carried her to the nursery where she was greeted with the sight of Peter Pan.

"Peter," she sighed happily. A huge smile graced her features.

The boy looked up from his flute. "Wendy!" he cried delightedly. He flew across the room and hugged her. "How good it is to see you!" he said politely, remembering how she liked him to display gentlemanly manners. His own special smile was aimed straight at her.

"How have you been, Peter?" Wendy asked. The boy immediately brought up all of his recent heroic feats. 

Wendy only kept half her attention on his stories, as she knew it would be quite a while before he stopped talking about himself. He really was most conceited. But she didn't mind. She discreetly observed Peter with a critical eye. As he was without a mother, Wendy worried for him. As always, he seemed perfect.

Presently, Wendy made her farewells to her parents, her brothers, and the former Lost Boys. Oh! And of course Nana, the children's sweet-tempered nanny-dog.

Peter barely took notice of anyone. He was too busy relating his newer adventures to Wendy. And boasting of his triumphs, naturally.

So then they were off to Neverland, with Peter holding Wendy's hand. Just in case. Everyone watched from the nursery window as the two flew off into the distance. Mr. Darling realized he had work to do at the office still and left. The boys remembered they had their blasted homework to complete. So that left the sweet Mrs. Darling gazing out of the window until Liza, the maid, told her supper was to be served shortly.

Wendy's week in Neverland went by too quickly, and before she knew it, she was entering the nursery window. The hours at the lagoon filled her with happiness as she recalled them. The time with Peter made her giddy. Knowing that she now had to say good-bye and for the next year broke her heart in two. Oh, how she wanted to cry, but she smiled instead. For Peter. She didn't want to worry him.

"Good-bye Peter. I had a truly lovely time," Wendy said softly.

"Yeah, it was fun," he agreed. He gave her his roguish smile. "Well, Wendy-lady, I have to go. I'll see you again."

"Wait!" Wendy cried in alarm. "Won't you say hello to the boys? I think they should like that."

"Hmm? Nah, maybe another time," he said indifferently with a shrug. He hopped to the window sill. "Bye Wendy!" he said over his shoulder. Then he flew out into the sky and became smaller and smaller in the distance, until he quite disappeared.

The next year came and went with no sign of Peter Pan. So did the year after that. And the year after _that_. _And _the year after _that_. Until four years passed. Wendy was now quite a young lady. Four years since she had seen Peter Pan . . .


	2. The Kiss

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Peter and Wendy

By: June Goddess

Chapter One - _The Kiss_

Wendy sighed happily as she finished making the noontime meal for herself and Peter. She set the table quickly, and made her way to the 'door' of their little house. Peter said it was 'hers,' but she thought of it as 'theirs' instead.

It was positively beautiful outside! Sunlight dappled the forest floor through the canopy above, and the quiet murmuring of the inhabitants of the forest filled the air with a lulling music. And Peter Pan was in the center of it all.

Wendy's brow furrowed as she contemplated the boy who lay on the ground, staring through the trees. He had been strangely silent and introspective during this visit. It was as though he were puzzling over something of great importance in his mind. Well, whatever it was could wait. It was time to eat, and Peter needed some nourishment. 

"Oh, Peter!" Wendy called. The boy turned around, an inquisitive look on his face.

"Yeah, Wendy? What is it?" Peter shouted back.

"It's time for lunch," she called back in a sing-song voice.

"Oh." For a moment he was nonplussed. His eyes were silently serious, making him seem out of place. Such an expression did not belong on a boy whose time was spent laughing in the face of danger-filled daring adventures. In the next instant, though, it was as if a cloud lifted itself, and Peter was smiling gaily as he bounded over to her side.

She sighed in exasperation. "Oh, Peter," she mumbled.

"Oh, Peter," Wendy sighed in her sleep.

"Oh, Peter," a boy mimicked, bringing Wendy out of her slumber.

The young woman's eyes blinked half-open in confusion. Her brow furrowed as recognition slowly came back. Remembering the voice that had awoken her, she bolted upright and looked to either side of her.

"Michael!" she growled.

Michael, used to his eldest sibling's grumpiness in the mornings, just smiled cheekily. "'Mornin' Wendy!" he chirped. Unlike his sister, he had been up and about since before the sun. All of a sudden, he grinned slyly. "What were ya _dreamin'_ about?" He paused. "Peter?"

"Oh!" Wendy was definitely awake now. She grabbed for the pillow behind her.

Michael, sensing her next move, made for the door. The pillow made contact just as the door shut, muffling the boy's teasing laughter.

Alone again, Wendy sighed deeply and shut her eyes. With her arms beneath her head, she lay back and stared at the ceiling, without seeing it. Her dream replayed itself in her mind like a favorite record, and tears welled up in her eyes. She missed Peter quite desperately. She hadn't seen him in four years.

Four years! she thought a bit angrily, her tears drying up instantly. What could be keeping him away? Had he-? No. He couldn't. It was unthinkable. Right? After all, Peter couldn't have forgotten her. He just couldn't have!

With another deep sigh, she chased away thoughts of _him_ and climbed out of bed. She went to her bedroom door and knelt down to sweep up the pillow she had thrown. She tossed it onto her bed as she made her way to her bureau, which stood across the room from her bed.

She quickly donned a skirt and blouse set that was her favorite. The long skirt was navy blue and the long-sleeved blouse a pale ice-blue. She then fastened a sapphire broach to the top of her high-necked blouse. Thinking quickly, she rummaged in a little box of ribbons. Pulling out one that matched her blouse, she loosely tied her hair into a bow at the nape of her neck.

After grabbing a shawl, she made her way to the dining room. She ate some fruit while speaking to her mother, who seemed in good spirits. When she asked on impulse to go on a solitary walk in the park, however, Mrs. Darling adamantly refused. 

She worried that someone would try to kidnap Wendy, or hurt her in some fashion. After assuring her mother that taking a walk by herself was safer than her mother assumed, she made her way out the door. If anyone even so much as attempted to harm her though, she promised she would let loose a scream so ghastly it would bring every man on police duty. Feeling somewhat hesitantly convinced, Mrs. Darling allowed the excursion. And so Wendy left, promising to be back for lunch.

The day was perfect for strolling in the beautiful Kensington Gardens. Soon it would be too chilly to go about without some covering. The Gardens were really eye-pleasing. There were lovely roses and violets and forget-me-nots. Such beauty surrounded Wendy.

Even so, she didn't care. She was thinking of Peter Pan. She often thought of Peter. To this day, she still recalled every nuance of his ageless boy's features. Then his triumphant crow would ring in her ears, or she would see his wide, happy smile in her mind's eye, and all her doubts would wash away.

Wendy was so involved in her thoughts she bumped into someone on the path. A startled "Oh!" escaped her lips, while a slight grunt was issued from the young man with whom she had collided.

"My apologies, sir!" she cried, in hopes that she had not offended him. There was no need to worry, though. The young man was already a good ten feet down the path. "Sir!" she called, vaguely annoyed.

The man cast a half-glance back at her. "Don't worry!" he called back. "You're forgiven!"

Wendy watched with a dazed expression as he hurried along the path and turned the corner. Indignation quickly chased away her dazed look. "Well, I never!" she muttered. _How rude! The incident _was_ partially his fault, after all. He should have also apologized, _she thought angrily.

The anger was slow to drain out of her, but drain away it did. She spotted a bench ou of the corner of her eye and made her way to it, putting the rude man quite out of her mind. She had been walking quite a bit, and her fast-changing emotions had left her a bit tired. After sitting down, she looked at her surroundings.

Her curiosity was piqued when something glinted in the grass next to a large tree. Naturally, she decided to investigate. Kneeling down, she took a closer look at the small object. A sharp gasp exploded from her lungs. The object in the grass was familiar. Very familiar.

It was the thimble she had given Peter when they had first met.

It was their first 'kiss.'


	3. What to Do About Wendy

Sorry for the long wait! I had most of this written right after I posted the first chapter, but I've only just been able to finish it and update the story. Hopefully the next chapter will be up a lot more quickly than this one. I plan to have this story finished soon. Thank you for your reviews. I really appreciate them.

Now read! I know you want to! ;} Enjoy!

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Peter & Wendy

Chapter Two - _What to Do About Wendy_

By: June Goddess

Wendy sat in stunned silence. She had no idea how the 'kiss' could have turned up in the Kensington Gardens. All motion seemed to halt for a moment, but soon continued on, as it must. Bird song filled the trees and children's laughter rang out from the ground. But she heard nothing.

Noticing that an unknown amount of time had somehow passed unnoticed, she gathered her wits and stood. She proceeded to straighten her clothing and make minor adjustments to her hair, before sedately walking home in a dazed and bewildered frame of mind.

Upon her return home, she was greeted with warm kitchen smells and muffled bustling sounds. She ignored everything, however, and ascended the stairs to her room. She said hello in passing to the Darling family's dog, Nana, who had become quite advanced in age. She continued along before coming to her bedroom, where she sought refuge.

Being inside the familiar confines, however, did not improve her thinking facilities in the least. She spent her time wearing a hole in the carpet with her pacing. Her mind stumbled over possible explanations, but nothing was acceptable.

Lunch went rather smoothly. The boys related their day to Mr. and Mrs. Darling, and there were few arguments over who ate the last dinner roll or strawberry, etc. During lunch, Wendy was very silent and contributed nothing to the table conversation. Such an attitude worried her dear mother, though she did not inquire in regards to her daughter's mood.

After lunch, Wendy fell into a fit of brooding. The wonderful morning had dissipated and all that remained was a gloomy and overcast afternoon, which perfectly suited her mood. She was still agonizing over the matter of _how_ the thimble had come to be in the Kensington Gardens. Her mind, unfortunately, refused to yield any reasonable explanation. So for the rest of the day, she passed her time by pacing, pulling at her hair, flopping onto chairs (in a lady-like manner, of course), and basically driving her mother mad.

Mrs. Darling, still worried by her daughter's behavior, checked frequently on the girl's activities. These check-ups only served to worry her more, since she knew Wendy was not inclined to such brooding intensity. After about two hours she approached Mr. Darling with her qualms.

"George, dear," she began fretfully, "I am beginning to become terribly worried about Wendy."

Mr. Darling looked up from his desk of papers. "Hmm? What's that, love?"

"Oh, George! Do pay attention!" she said irritably. She calmed down slightly. "I'm worried about Wendy."

"What's wrong with Wendy?" Mr. Darling asked in surprise.

"I don't know what's wrong with her." Mrs. Darling's voice had taken on a rather pitiful note of despair.

Her husband waved her concerns away with a negligent hand. "She seemed fine at lunch. Perhaps you're just seeing things, sweetheart." With that, he turned back to peruse his papers.

A look of near outrage passed over his 'sweetheart's' face, and she straightened as a soldier off to battle might. "Fine, you say? She came to the table late, barely ate two bites off the scant portions on her plate, didn't speak a word, and excused herself early!" she exclaimed, her voice rising steadily and her arms wildly gesticulating. "Yet you say she seemed fine?!"

Startled by his wife's fierceness, Mr. Darling could only stare dumbfounded at the normally sweet-tempered and gently woman he had married so many years ago. "I... I'm sorry, love," he whimpered meekly. This was the correct way of dealing with the tigress, for she appeared to deflate before his very eyes. Continuing in a stronger tone, he said, "Do you have any ideas to lift her spirits?"

She shook her head in despairing frustration as she turned away from her husband. "No. No, I cannot think of a single-" she broke off suddenly, and a smile of delight lit her face. "What about the masque!" She turned to face Mr. Darling. "George! The masque at the Farthington's is tomorrow evening. I just _know_ Wendy would love to attend! She's been after me for months to allow her to accompany us to a party. Oh, dear, do you think we could take her with us?"

Under the force of Mrs. Darling's compelling misty-blue eyes, Mr. Darling could hardly say no. Instead he sighed resignedly, knowing they would have to send word to the Farthington's to make arrangements to fit Wendy in with everyone else. It would be such a hassle, but it was what his wife wanted, and Mr. Darling almost never went against her wishes. "Very well."

Mrs. Darling, a lovely and dignified lady, let loose a squeal of delight so high pitched the glass mantle piece above the study fireplace shook alarmingly. "Oh, I just can't wait to tell Wendy! She'll be so excited!" She fairly floated out of the study, making plans to herself. "We'll have to go shopping _immediately _for her dress today, of course. My, but that will be costly, since it's so last minute, and all. I do hope there is something she likes available..."

Mr. Darling's eyes and mouth became round and wide circles of horror. "Shopping! Oh no!"


	4. Invitation to a Masquerade and a Lovely ...

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Peter & Wendy

By: June Goddess

Chapter Three - _Invitation to a Masquerade and a Lovely Shopping Trip_

Wendy was in the middle of reaching into the deepest, darkest brooding place inside herself, when her mother interrupted with fluttering excitement, so at odds with Wendy's own mood. Wendy watched as her mother made a wasted attempt to calm down. A small fond smile graced her lips for a moment and some of her broodiness dissipated somewhat.

"Wendy, darling, I have some exciting news," Mrs. Darling began. "Your father and I have discussed it, and we think you are quite the young lady. You have really matured rapidly these past few years, it's hardly fair to call you a child." She sent Wendy an apologetic look. "Oh, I know we moved you into your own room some years ago, oh how many was it? Six? Or maybe it was-"

"Four years and nine-and-a-half months," Wendy interrupted softly. Wistfully.

"What was that, dear?" Mrs. Darling's eyes snapped to her daughter's face, searchingly.

She cleared her throat. "Nothing, Mother. I was just correcting you is all. It's been four years and nine-and-a-half months since I moved to my own room." While she was speaking, she became slightly overwhelmed by her mixed and turbulent feelings for Peter. Not wanting to concern her mother, she kept her eyes down so her mother could not see the tears.

Mrs. Darling noticed how Wendy refused eye contact and stared fixedly on her hands. She was even more worried than ever, but cleared her throat as well and continued. "Yes, well... Even though you moved to your own room, we, your father and I, have still treated you as a child, for the most part. But tomorrow night, that's all about to change."

"What do you mean, Mother?" Wendy still refused to look up, and so missed the slight hesitancy of her mother's stance.

Mrs. Darling forged on, however. "Well, tomorrow night is the Farthington's masquerade. You shall be attending with us," she said with false nonchalance.

"What!" Wendy shouted, as her head shot up in surprise, no longer mindful of the tears in her eyes. Her eyes lit up at the prospect of going to a real masque. She was so excited, she really felt like crying tears of joy. At last her parents were finally beginning to see that she was no longer a child to be kept at home.

Mrs. Darling watched the transformation in her daughter with a degree of awe. _Wendy really has grown up_, she realized. _She had always been a lovely child, but now... she's a lovely woman. _Her eyes misted over at the thought that someday, perhaps soon, Wendy would be walking down an aisle in a gorgeous white gown, preparing to spend the rest of her life with a young man and having darling little children. She was brought back to reality at a cry of teenage dismay from her only daughter.

"But, Mother! Whatever shall I wear?!" Wendy's despairing voice elicited warm laughter from her mother, who hugged her close and whispered shopping plans into her ear.

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Later that day...

Mother and daughter swept into the foyer from their grand shopping adventure amid a whirlwind of parcels, bags, and laughter. Both were completely exhilarated from their spree and had flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes.

Mr. Darling was, of course, filled with utmost anxiety. He stood unnoticed in the shadow of his study's doorway and watched as the two females in his life ordered the boys to take everything up to Wendy's room. Liza came and led the two into the parlor, offering and serving them tea, all the while shooting questions about the shopping trip.

After an eternity, which was really only a few minutes, he came away from his refuge and slowly made his way to the parlor. Another few minutes had passed due to his slow pace, and when he reached the parlor, Liza and Wendy came bundling out and ascending the stairs quite rapidly, huddled together and whispering excitedly. He watched as they disappeared from view, then slowly turned to acknowledge his wife.

"So," he began, uncertainly, before he blanked out on what he might say. Mrs. Darling allowed him to fumble around for a bit before she rescued him from his own dire thoughts about their spending.

With a sweet smile, she approached him and slid her arms around his waist. "Don't worry, dear. We really didn't spend all that much. Everyone seemed to be having the most wonderful sales." She smiled lovingly at him, and all his concerns melted away.

His arms enfolded her to him and he kissed her forehead. "Thank you, love."

They stood together in silence, basking in their love that had not diminished in all the years they had been married. Their smiles were happy, free, and full of young dreams, as though they had only just met. Then they were once again parents, and their smiles took on the added quality of pride and joy.

"She really is a young woman, isn't she?" he murmured wistfully.

"Yes, George. She really is," she murmured back, just as wistful.

"If any boy comes near her, I'll introduce him to that pistol I bought a few years ago when the bank was held up," he said protectively.

"Oh, George!" she sighed, though a smile tugged the corners of her lips.


End file.
